Bachelor of Philosophy at Pennsylvania State University
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    Bachelor of Philosophy at Pennsylvania State University

    Pennsylvania State University
    Pennsylvania State University
    United States of America
    United States of America, University Park
    University Rank:#82
    Bachelor of Philosophy at Pennsylvania State University

    The Philosophy at Pennsylvania State University is a Bachelor program designed for students who want to build the knowledge and skills required for careers in this field. Delivered on campus across its Main Site, Any Penn State Campus, and University Park campuses in United States of America, the program is taught in English and takes 4 years to complete. Students study in a Full Time environment while preparing for future professional opportunities. The next intake starts on June 1, 2027.

    About Bachelor of Philosophy

    Philosophy is the oldest of the liberal arts, and is often defined simply as the love of wisdom. Philosophy is at the core of the liberal arts tradition and provided the foundation for the modern university, yet it remains highly relevant to life in technologically complex, diverse, global, information driven societies such as our own. The Philosophy major provides in-depth study of fundamental issues that inescapably confront all persons, such as ethics, social and political philosophy, aesthetics, metaphysics, philosophy of mind, philosophy of religion, epistemology, philosophy of science, and logic. These studies enhance imaginative, interpretive, analytical, critical, and communicative capacities. Majors thus may acquire intellectual abilities crucial for self-fulfillment, responsible participation in public life, and success in a wide range of careers–including law, business, education, journalism, medicine, and public service.

    You Might Like This Program If...

    • You want to develop critical thinking skills, including constructing, interpreting, and critically analyzing philosophical arguments.
    • You want to learn about major thinkers, schools, and trends of the Western philosophical tradition, and to appreciate the importance and value of other thought.
    • You want to compose clear, coherent written expressions of complex philosophical ideas, theories, and arguments.
    • You have enthusiasm for inquiry and want engage in philosophical discussions about ethics, social and political philosophy, metaphysics, and aesthetics.

    This major provides in-depth study of fundamental issues that inescapably confront all persons. Topics include ethics, social and political philosophy, and esthetics--study of the good life, justice, and beauty; metaphysics, philosophy of mind, and philosophy of religion--study of the nature of reality, mind, body, and the meaning of life and death; epistemology, philosophy of science, and logic--study of the nature of knowledge, truth, objectivity, and principles of sound reasoning; and subjects such as comparative philosophies and world cultures, feminist theory, and philosophical issues in technology, language, education, and the professions of law, business, medicine, communications, engineering, and agriculture. These studies enhance imaginative, interpretive, analytical, critical, and communicative capacities. Majors thus may acquire intellectual abilities crucial for self-fulfillment, responsible participation in public life, and success in a wide range of careers--including law, business, education, journalism, medicine, and public service.

    Majors pursued concentration in history of philosophy; humanities and arts; philosophy of science and mathematics; social sciences; the professions; or justice, law, and values. This is combined easily with minors, area studies, and concurrent majors. Qualified students participate in honors study and internships.

    General Philosophy Option

    This option provides students with a concentration in the history of western philosophy and the historical development and impact of philosophical ideas and issues--from the ancient to the contemporary period. It is designed for all students who seek a broad liberal education, including students interested in graduate study in philosophy.

    Humanities and Arts Option

    This option provides students with a concentration in philosophical issues in the arts, art history, literature, languages, history and religion. It is designed for all students primarily interested in the philosophical dimensions of the arts, humanities, and cultural studies, including students with career or further educational goals in these fields.

    Philosophy of Science and Mathematics Option

    This option provides students with a concentration in philosophical issues in the life sciences, the physical sciences, mathematics, engineering, and technology. It is designed for all students primarily interested in the philosophical dimensions of the natural sciences, technology, and mathematics, including students with career or further educational goals in these fields.

    Social Sciences Option

    This option provides students with a concentration in philosophical issues in the social sciences, social and political theory, and education. It is designed for all students primarily interested in the philosophical dimensions of social thought and methodological and normative issues in the social sciences, educational theory, and public policy, including students with career or further educational goals in these fields.

    Professional Studies Option

    This option provides students with a concentration in philosophical issues and dimensions in the theory and practice of the professions of agriculture, business, engineering, journalism, law, and medicine and health care. It is designed for all students seeking a foundation in the philosophical dimensions of these professions, including students who wish to combine humanistic study with career or further educational goals in these fields.

    Justice, Law, and Values Option

    This option provides students with a concentration in philosophical issues in aesthetics, ethics, jurisprudence, and social and political theory, and everyday life. It is designed for students primarily interested in moral, social, political, and legal questions concerning value and is especially appropriate for those anticipating future educational work in law school.

    • Learning about major philosophical figures, issues, traditions, methods, and trends.
    • Understanding the relevance of the philosophical ideas and approaches for contemporary life, including in theoretical, scientific, existential, religious, cultural, ethical, social, and political contexts.
    • Developing critical writing, reading, and speaking skills with an eye towards understanding, constructing, and assessing abstract, complex, or controversial philosophical arguments.
    • Acquiring an inquisitive disposition toward philosophical questions and a willingness to justify and modify one's views about those questions through respectful conversation.

    Disciplines

    Liberal Arts

    Requirements and Admission Criteria for Bachelor of Philosophy at Pennsylvania State University

    Entry Requirements

    Penn State requires the submission of specific academic credentials to complete your application. Review the secondary and post-secondary requirements for your country below.

    If you are a first year student applying to Penn State:

    Click Apply to start your Penn State application. Before starting, you can also review the Applying Online Worksheet for more details and helpful hints about the application.

    Your application work can be saved at each step of the process by clicking the Save and Continue button at the bottom of the page. This feature will allow you to move back and forth within the application or log off and return to complete your application at a later time.

    After completing your Academic History, you will need to provide your Self-Reported Academic Record (SRAR). As you begin the SRAR process, a new window will open allowing you to complete your SRAR. SRAR will focus on your high school coursework. It is important that this step is a complete and accurate representation of your school record. Therefore, have a copy of your secondary school records available as you complete your SRAR. You will need to enter every class and every grade earned for the last three years, as well as those classes in progress.

    After completing your SRAR, you will be directed back to the Penn State application in order to complete the Program of Study portion of the application. Here, you will indicate your desired starting semester, your intended program of study, and your starting and ending campus. For further details on how to complete this portion based on your applicant type, please see the steps to apply for first-year students.

    After completing this section of the application, you will provide some additional information, an activities resume, and a personal statement. You will be able to paste in this information from other sources, but note that the formatting may not always paste in as intended.

    If you are a transfer student applying to Penn State:

    All international transfer students will be required to submit official high school transcripts in order to complete the application. International transfer students will not complete the Self-Reported Academic Record (SRAR) for either their high school or college coursework.

    If you have accepted your offer of admission to Penn State:

    If you completed SRAR and are accepted to Penn State, please provide the following for grade verification:

    • Official transcript from years 9, 10, 11, and 12. If the transcript is issued in a language other than English, it must be accompanied by a separate line-by-line English translation.
    • Official copy of the Tawjihi, accompanied by a separate line-by-line English translation.

    English Requirements

    • IELTSMin 6.5
    • TOEFLMin 80

    Career Opportunities after Completing Bachelor of Philosophy

    Students in the Philosophy major may choose to pursue one of several areas of concentration, including the history of philosophy, humanities and arts, natural sciences and mathematics, social sciences, professional studies, or justice, law and values. Each option is designed to prepare students to reach career or educational goals in its associated field.

    Philosophy students learn the kinds of critical, interpretive, analytical, and argumentative skills highly prized by employers in a wide variety of fields, including publishing, non-profit work, consulting, information technology, law, business, education, journalism, medicine, and public service.

    MORE INFORMATION ABOUT POTENTIAL CAREER OPTIONS FOR GRADUATES OF THE PHILOSOPHY PROGRAM

    Opportunities for Graduate Studies

    Philosophy students score consistently higher than other majors on LSAT, MCAT, and GMAT exams. The study of philosophy provides students with an outstanding preparation for law school, medical school, and other advanced degrees. For those students interested in pursuing graduate work in philosophy, our department has a strong record of placing its graduates into top-notch doctoral programs.

    MORE INFORMATION ABOUT OPPORTUNITIES FOR GRADUATE STUDIES

    Professional Resources

    • American Philosophical Association
    • Society for Phenomenology and Existential Philosophy

    Tuition and Fee Information for Bachelor of Philosophy at Pennsylvania State University

    Application Fee 75

    How to Apply for Bachelor of Philosophy at Pennsylvania State University

    Step 1: Choose Your Application Method

    Apply through MyPennState

    The first step of the application process is to create a Penn State account, if you do not have one already. MyPennState is where future students can access the online application.

    If you are new to MyPennState, you will need to establish a Penn State User ID and password, which you will access during the MyPennState profile creation process. Once you have your log in information, you can sign in to begin work on your application.

    When creating the profile, please use the name that is on your passport. Because materials are filed alphabetically under the family name on the application, it is important that all correspondence and records consistently use the same name (family and given) and spelling. If this name does not match your academic records, please notify us of the difference. Please note: In the U.S., the family name is usually referred to as the last name, and the given name is referred to as the first name.

    Additionally, Penn State requires a current, valid email address, as that is our primary means of communication with international students. To ensure deliverability, please make Penn State (psu.edu) an eligible sender to the account.

    Applying through the Common App

    Applying to Penn State via the Common App is available to first-year (freshman) international students. If applying through the Common App, Penn State will create a MyPennState profile when the application is submitted and you will receive instructions on how to access your profile. If you intend to apply with the Common App, you do not need create a MyPennState profile prior to submitting your application.

    Step 2: Access the Application and Review Important Dates

    While you can create a MyPennState profile at any time, the application for admission becomes available on the following dates:

    Fall/Summer Admission: August 1

    Spring Admission: June 1

    The application submission dates vary by applicant type and intended program of study. Some programs have specific deadlines or admissions requirements. Please refer to our Dates & Deadlines for more information about application deadlines, as well as our Admissions Requirements to review information about any additional materials required for your intended program of study.

    Step 3: Start Your Penn State Application

    If applying through MyPennState:

    Click Apply Online to start your Penn State application. 

    Your application work can be saved at each step of the process by clicking the "Save and Continue" button at the bottom of the page. This feature will allow you to move back and forth within the application or log off and return to complete your application at a later time.

    After completing your Academic History, you will need to provide your Self-Reported Academic Record (SRAR), unless otherwise directed. You will be directed to enter information about your secondary school coursework. Please have a copy of your secondary school records as you complete SRAR. It is important that this step is a complete and accurate representation of your school record. You will need to enter every grade for every course you have taken in the last three years, as well as your current schedule of classes.

    Students educated in South Korea will not complete SRAR. The document requirements for South Korea can be found by reviewing our International Credential Requirements.

    After this section, you will be directed back to the Penn State application to complete the Program of Study portion. Here, you will indicate your desired starting semester, your intended program of study, and your starting and ending campus. For further details on how to complete this portion based on your applicant type, please see the steps to apply for either first-year students or transfer students.

    After this portion, you will provide some additional application information, an activities resume, and a personal statement. You will be able to paste in this information from other sources, but note that the formatting may not always paste in as intended.

    If applying through the Common App:

    Complete the Common App, which will then direct you to MyPennState to complete SRAR. Applicants using the Common App may feel that they provided their high school record via the Common App, but Penn State requires the completion of SRAR via MyPennState. We strongly encourage you to obtain an official copy of your high school transcript to ensure accurate entry of your coursework completed and grades earned. The SRAR will include all of your high school coursework from your last three years of work and your current year schedule. If your final year grades are available when you enter SRAR, you can enter them at that time.

    Step 4: Submit Your Application

    The application requires a nonrefundable application fee of $75 for international students. Be sure to complete the last step after Summary and Review, which finalizes payment of your fee, and be certain it is successfully submitted. Once the application is submitted, you can verify its completion by accessing your MyPennState profile.

    Step 5: Submit Required Application Materials

    In order to complete your Penn State application, we need the following materials:

    • Application
    • Secondary school record
    • Post-secondary school records (if applicable)
    • First-year applicants only: Official test scores: SAT (code #2660) or ACT (code #3656)

      Writing Component and Subject Tests

      Please note: The writing component of standardized tests (SAT or ACT) is not required. The writing component will not be used as part of our evaluation. If your test scores include the writing component, by all means, have those scores sent to Penn State. Additionally, we do not require SAT Subject Tests.

    • English language proficiency, if your native language is not English

    Please see the admissions requirements for international students to review the details about the required application materials. Some programs require additional items to complete your application. Please review our Admissions Requirements for those details.

    Penn State does not require letters of recommendation, nor are they used in a student’s evaluation (unless required for a specific program).

    Step 6: Check Your Application Status in MyPennState

    You can always check the status of your application in MyPennState. We will communicate with you via MyPennState and through a series of emails regarding the missing items for your application. When everything has arrived, you will see a status in MyPennState confirming the completion of your application.

    Please note: It is your responsibility to check on the status of your application and send us any missing materials.

    Step 7: Receive Your Admission Decision

    Once we have reached a decision regarding your application, we will update your status in MyPennState and provide a printable PDF of your decision letter. Review our Dates & Deadlines to see when you should expect your decision.

    If accepted, you can accept your offer of admission in MyPennState to begin the process of becoming a Penn State student. Visit our Accepted Students section to review the next steps in this process. Once you accept your offer of admission to Penn State, those students completing SRAR will submit their official records for validation purposes as soon as possible.

    Bachelor of Philosophy at Pennsylvania State University
    Pennsylvania State University
    Pennsylvania State University
    United States of America

    United States of America, University Park

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